LONG WHARF REVISITS 'MENAGERIE'

FRANK RIZZO; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Though Hartford Stage's 10-year-long Tennessee Williams Marathon ends this spring with "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore," New Haven's Long Wharf Theater will be turning to the playwright for the 2008-09 season with "The Glass Menagerie."

The play, staged by the theater's artistic director Gordon Edelstein, will conclude the season with a May 13 to June 7 run. No casting has been announced.

The last time the theater did "Menagerie" was in 1986 in a production that originated at the Williamstown Theatre Festival starring Joanne Woodward, James Naughton and Karen Allen.

Also new on the schedule is the American premiere of Fiona Evans' "Scarborough," described as "a poignant story about an illicit romance between a teacher and a student." The play will run Feb. 18 to March 22 on Stage II. Eric Ting, associate artistic director of the theater, who staged "The Bluest Eye," will direct.

Previously announced is the season-opener: Brian Dennehy starring in the twin bill of Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie" and Samuel Beckett's "Krapp's Last Tape." The show in Stage II will run Oct. 8 to Nov. 9. The director is unknown.

The premiere of Paula Vogel's "A Civil War Christmas" will run Nov. 26 to Dec. 21 on the main stage. Tina Landau directs the large-scale piece that includes music.

The North American premiere of Athol Fugard's newest work, "Victory" will play Jan 14 to Feb. 8. Edelstein will direct.

Ting's stage adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" will run on the main stage April 1 to 26. Ting will also direct.

SHAKESPEARE AT SHUBERT

New Haven's Shubert will open its 2008-09 season with an intriguing take on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Oct. 24 to 26. The production, commissioned by the British Arts Council, is directed by Tim Supple and it includes 23 actors, musicians, dancers and street acrobats from India and Sri Lanka. The show is performed in English and South Asian languages.

The Broadway series will feature "Mamma Mia!" Dec. 2 to 7 for a one-week run. The rest of the series is made up of weekend-long engagements. "Footloose" plays Dec. 26 to 28; "Jesus Christ Superstar" starring Ted Neeley plays April 3 to 5; and "Girls Night," a musical revue centering on five female friends, plays May 15 to 17, 2009.

Off-subscription shows include return engagements of "Cats" (Jan. 16 to 18), "The Rat Pack Is Back" (Feb. 27 to March 1) and a weeklong engagement of "Stomp" (March 17 to 22). A touring version of "A Christmas Carol" will return Nov. 23 to 25.

YALE REP

Lucinda Coxon's "Happy Now?" will receive its American premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven. It is described as a "darkly comic new play about having it all." The show, which will run Oct. 24 to Nov. 15, is directed by Liz Diamond.

The show completes the Rep's 2008-09 season, which also includes Sarah Ruhl's "Passion Play" (Sept. 19 to Oct. 11); Tom Stoppard's "Rough Crossing" (Nov. 28 to Dec. 20); the East Coast premiere of Octavio Solis' "Lydia" (Feb. 6 to 28); the premiere of "Notes From Underground," adapted from the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky by Robert Woodruff and Bill Camp, starring Camp and directed by Woodruff; and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" starring Charles S. Dutton (April 24 to May 23).

James Naughton directs the review, which runs June 10 to 28. The show is choreographed by Lisa Shriver and written by David Armstrong, Mark Waldrop and Bruce W. Coyle.

SUMMER CABARET

Yale's Summer Cabaret announced its season, which features a rock musical, two new comedies, a dance-theater piece and the return of last summer's family hit, "Eye," which opens the series May 22 to 24. The show is created and directed by Alex Knox.

"The Who's 'Tommy' " follows June 18 to July 5, directed by Mike Donahue. "Kids These Days (or, the Notorious Dunaway High Fiasco)" plays July 7 to 19, directed by Jen Wineman. The show is written by Michael Barker, Joe Kendall and Chris Quinn.

The theater dance piece "Tramland (Dreamland)", created and choreographed by Rebecca Alaly and Adrienne Minster, runs July 23 to 26.

The season ends with "Recess" by Eric Lipez, directed by Mike Donahue, running from July 30 to Aug. 9.